Alicia
Bruxvoort
"The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright
One, make the way of the righteous smooth." Isaiah 26:7
(NIV)
On the night before he began kindergarten, my
youngest
son, Joshua, announced he'd "rather go to jail" than go to
school.
His big brother mumbled something sarcastic about the
prison bars in the principal's office, while his sisters attempted to soothe
Joshua's anxieties by pointing out the perks of being a
kindergartener.
"Did you know that when you lose a tooth at school
you
get to bring it home in a tiny treasure box?" my daughter Hannah
asked.
Joshua grinned and poked his finger in his mouth to
check
for loose teeth. But when it was time to brush those pearly whites and head
to
bed, his smile faded and fears returned.
What if my legs get cramped on my carpet
square?
What if my ears hurt from listening all
day?
What if I forget to raise my
hand?
What if I'm the only one who can't
read?
To be honest, Joshua's worries resonated with my own.
I'd
prayed unceasingly over the school year to come and was certain God had
placed
my son in the kindergarten classroom that would best meet his needs. Yet I
just
couldn't imagine my littlest boy thriving in any classroom at all. He loved
piles of dirt more than stacks of books and preferred hammers over
pencils.
Joshua's eyelids drooped and his breathing slowed.
Then,
before he surrendered to sleep, he voiced one last concern: "I can't go to
kindergarten tomorrow, Mommy. I don't have even one wiggly
tooth!"
I assured my son that loose teeth weren't a
prerequisite
for kindergarten, and I headed to the kitchen to pack lunches for morning.
Minutes later my husband found me crying over the peanut butter, and I had
to
confess the angst preying on my mind. "I can't figure out how Joshua's going
to
make it through the school year."
"You don't have to figure it out," my husband gently
replied as he wiped a smudge of peanut butter off my cheek. "That's God's
job."
Have you been there before? Perhaps you've sought
God's
direction, followed His lead, only to find yourself walking a path marked by
concerns that cause you to stumble.
Sometimes the potholes in our path make us wonder if
we
are really on the right road. Unanswered, difficult questions can make us
doubt
the direction we've been given.
However, today's key verse reminds us it's not our
job to
fix the chinks in our trail. If we let God lead, He will smooth the way:
"The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way
of
the righteous smooth" (Isaiah 26:7).
Whatever the path looks like, God has a plan for
every
step (Jeremiah 29:11). We may be trekking toward a new school year or
stepping
into an empty nest; stumbling along a painful detour or skipping into a new
job;
but no matter where we're headed, God is aware of every gap in the road He's
established for us.
Joshua's school year wasn't perfect, but God was
faithful. And nine months later, as we waited for the big yellow bus to chug
up
our street on the last day of school, my son admitted he'd changed his mind.
With a toothless grin, he conceded. Going to kindergarten was definitely
better
than going to jail!
The bus slowed to a stop, and Joshua climbed aboard.
He
pressed his face against the window and waved good-bye. That's when I
noticed a
splash of white hovering at the top of his gaping grin.
Soon a new tooth would inhabit that endearing hole in
his
smile. Because that's just how God works, faithfully filling every gap in
His
own way and in His perfect time.
Lord, I don't have every step figured out, but I'm
thankful You do. Fill me with courage when my path is packed with potholes.
Give
me faith to follow Your lead and awaken me to see You at work as I travel
along
the road You've prepared for me. Thank You for providing direction and peace
in
Your perfect timing. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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